


The Wolf And Her Scar

by AstralLyrics, Constellasaur, LyricalDisaster



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fireflies, Infected, Naughty Dog - Freeform, Quarantine Zone, Scars, Seattle, WLF, WLF | Washington Liberation Front (The Last of Us), seraphites, the last of us part ii
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28660863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstralLyrics/pseuds/AstralLyrics, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Constellasaur/pseuds/Constellasaur, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyricalDisaster/pseuds/LyricalDisaster
Summary: Sometimes, the best connections are made on opposite sides of a war.━━━━━━✦✗✦━━━━━━Story Cover Drawn By: @scotch_draws On InstagramArt Commissioned For This Story
Relationships: Abby/Owen (The Last of Us), Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	The Wolf And Her Scar

_  
I don't remember much about arriving on the island, other than it being really strange. But massive change was always considered strange to an extent with a child._ _  
_ _  
_ _I can't remember what life was like before the Seraphites other than being surrounded by lots of people. The change of scenery was what had struck me as peculiar, more than anything else. Well, that and the people; Scars adorned both sides of their cheeks, almost as though it was a symbolic sign of unity towards each other._ _  
_ _  
_ _Now, looking back, I respect the people I became part of. They were so much better than what I was, what I am now. They were more than I could ever hope to be._ _  
_ _  
_ _Another thing I remember is that I was scared of these strange people when I met them, hiding my face in my mother's neck in hopes that maybe if I kept my attention away long enough, we would just go back home. I remember that I didn't want to be there._ _  
_ _  
_ _My parents told me they were nice people, that I could trust them. A naive child I was to ever think otherwise... My parents were always right._ _  
_ _  
_ _And like always, all I've done is fail them._ _  
_ _  
_ _I remember seeing a strange lady after my mother managed to coax my face out of her neck and place me onto my feet. She was the one they had called the prophet._ _  
_ _  
_ _The lady had bent down to my level, looking me in the eyes as she brushed my hair out of my eyes._ _  
_ _  
_ _She told me I was home. She allowed my family onto the island they called home._ _  
_ _  
_ **_And all I've done is fail her._ **

━━━━━━✦✗✦━━━━━━

__

━━━━━━✦✗✦━━━━━━  
  


The morning had found itself disgustingly cold and wet, rain pouring down heavily onto Seattle and not seeming to rest for a second during its onslaught.

Despite the rain, a girl on horseback moved at a trot through the ruined streets of Seattle, the black horse she rode constantly shaking its head due to the rain that hit them in an unceremonious fashion.

Even in a downpour like this, Sage loved the rain. The water falling from the sky was something she always seemed to find somewhat peaceful in a way, never finding herself hating the droplets of water that struck her skin in large numbers.

Despite her love for the rain, however, Sage's current thought process was finding a shelter for her and her animal companion (who did not appear to share her sentiments regarding the weather). She kept her eyes open as best as she could in the weather, looking at the old shops as they moved through the streets, attempting to deduce if she could get Dreamscape in there, or even get them open, to begin with. They needed to get out of the open soon - it wasn't smart to remain so exposed like this for too long.

It wasn't long before her eyes caught an old workshop for cars, one of the garage doors open and vacant of any old and rusted cars.

_It's perfect._

With this thought in mind, she pulled the reins to the left as gently as she could manage, leading the animal towards the garage.

Nothing could have prepared for the greeting that followed this decision.  
Dreamscape had only gotten her front hooves inside when Sage had a blonde woman point a bolt-action rifle directly at her, the unknown woman pulling the bolt back on said rifle with her eyes trained on her.

"Stop!" The stranger demanded in a threatening tone, though Sage had pulled her horse to a halt barely a second before the demand was issued.

Sage couldn't help but silently curse herself for not even considering checking the building out before blindly guiding her horse inside. Yet another mistake to pile onto her growing list of failures over the course of the past month.

She remained silent, finding herself both at a bit of a loss for words and completely unnerved by her current position. Dreamscape, however, was not pleased. Most of the animal's body was still out in the rain, causing the horse to toss her head irritably at not being allowed to move forward.

"Who are you?" The woman questioned harshly when Sage offered no words, not moving from her spot in front of her. Sage knew that she would be shot immediately if she made the wrong move. She opened her mouth to respond but found herself cut off with another question entirely before she could form any words. "Why are you here?"

  
Sage didn't know how to respond to the new question, though she did take note of the woman's tone faltering slightly when it was asked. Should she be truthful? Lie? Prophet forbid anyone would teach her how to deal with these types of confrontations.

_You weren't supposed to leave to begin with._

Sage immediately shook the thought from her head before she could delve too deep into that line of thinking; she knew now was not the time. She needed to answer the woman - who Sage now recognized as one of the Wolves - before she grew impatient.

"I- uh," Sage started out, still trying to figure out exactly how to respond before deciding on being honest with the stranger. After all, she had nothing to hide with either question. "My name is Sage..." Her tone of voice was soft and extremely unthreatening, the nervousness in her tone clear as she spoke. "And I'm... trying to get out of the rain?"

If she was being honest, Sage wasn't entirely sure what the stranger had meant by 'here'. Had she meant this specific location, or off the island in general? The question hadn't felt hostile, so assuming the first guess felt like the safer option.

The two women held eye contact for a moment before the Wolf lowered her gun, surprising Sage with how those simple answers had been enough. She would have expected more of a resistance from a wolf.

"Alright," the blonde finally spoke, nodding her head to indicate that Sage could come in.

  
Making a clicking noise with her tongue, she urged the young mare to walk forward into the garage. She kept a cautious eye on the other woman as she did so, only halting her horse once they were completely in the shelter.

  
"Sorry," the blonde spoke up again, though she was no longer looking at Sage. Instead, she had turned her attention back to the trunk of the car she must have been going through before Sage and Dreamscape showed up, not seeming too alarmed by the Seraphite's presence anymore. "I'm Delaney."

Sage didn't respond to the blonde immediately, having never been much of a talkative person to begin with; it didn't help that the person speaking to her was a Wolf of all people. Could she honestly trust this Delaney? She hadn't shot her, but that wasn't enough to put full trust in her. She probably shouldn't test her luck.

Instead of speaking, Sage slipped the brown hood of her jacket off her head and slipped herself out of the old western saddle, moving to begin untacking Dreamscape to relieve some of the animal's discomfort.

As she let the silence go on with the mind numbing task of untacking her horse, she couldn't help but notice that the silence felt awkward. Rude, even. Sage knew the two of them were probably going to be stuck together in this garage for a while. Regardless of if she trusted her or not - she should still talk to her right?

"Uhm," Sage started out, seeming to try and formulate some sort of sentence to start out with. A conversation starter, to be more specific. "Thanks for uh, not shooting me.." There was a slight hesitation before she spoke the Wolf's name for the first time. "Delaney."

"I wasn't going to unless you did something," the other woman responded easily, lacking the amount of hesitation that seemed to follow Sage's every word. The brunette hadn't been watching Delaney as she spoke, so she found herself caught off guard when she smashed one of the windows on the car she was searching with her gun, the loud crash startling both Sage and her horse - who took a few steps back due to the noise. Delaney didn't seem to notice this, however, as she simply continued talking. "I refuse to hurt people unless absolutely necessary."

Sage took a few moments to focus on calming down Dreamscape, which didn't take very long as the breaking glass hadn't been too alarming to the large animal, barely noticing the quiet _"Jackpot."_ Delaney had muttered to herself.  
  
Letting out a short exhale in relief, moving to finish unstrapping the girth on the saddle before she finally spoke again. "Well, thanks anyways," Sage reiterated as she placed the saddlebags on top of the saddle. "Most Wolves tend to shoot first and ask questions later." She pulled the saddle off of Dreamscape's back. "Assuming we survive the altercation, anyways."

The last sentence faded into a soft whisper, leaving Sage a bit unsure as to whether Delaney had even heard it, as she didn't seem to comment on it, instead of addressing her initial comment as Sage dropped the heavy saddle onto the floor against the wall.  
  
"Well, I'm not a Wolf anymore," Delaney pointed out with a sigh. "So..." the other woman added, trailing off slightly. Sage glanced in Delaney's direction, though she wasn't able to see much as the blonde had walked around to the other side of the car to get changed. Sage was a little surprised by the response, to say the least. What did she mean _not a wolf?_ She sure looked like one, even if she hadn't shot her on sight.

"Though, your people have been known to do that, as well. From what I've experienced, at least," Delaney continued after a few moments, catching the brunette by surprise. Sage found herself getting irritated by the comment. She really shouldn't care so much, seeing as she wasn't with her people anymore. Still, the comment angered her regardless, so much so - she didn't even listen to the second question that Delaney had asked, realizing that she had spoken, but not having the slightest idea of what she said.  
  
"They aren't nearly as bad!" Sage found herself snapping, her expression souring. "We've only ever given what we've received. Plus, it is our responsibility to cleanse the sins of the old world."

Letting out a short scoff, she turned her attention back around towards the saddle, bending down to open the saddlebag and grab an old hand towel to try and dry Dreamscape off. While she did, Delaney let out a scoff behind her.  
  
"Sins?" There were a few moments of silence as Sage didn't respond, the brunette busying herself with running the towel over her horse, trying to get as much water as possible off of the animal. She heard her, she just didn't feel a need to respond. She wasn't sure if Delaney realized this, or if she simply got tired of waiting, but Sage heard the "Whatever" that the blonde muttered not long afterwards. Again, Sage chose not to respond.  
  
Part of her felt hypocritical in a way. She had left the Seraphites, so she wasn't exactly one of them anymore. Yet, she still blindly defended them without a second thought.  
  
_She was the one at fault here, not those she left._ _  
__  
_ They were still good people, right? Doing the Prophet's work, cleansing the old world of its sins.  
  


Delaney moved across the garage towards the door that led into the rest of the building, letting out a short hum to herself as she peaked her head into the faintly lit room. The sound had caught a bit of Sage's attention, though the brunette gave Delaney nothing more than a bit of a side glance, as she was too lost in her own thoughts to care.

  
Delaney turned around and looked at Sage, pointing at the now open door as she attempted to speak to Sage again. "It's a room," Delaney stated as Sage fully directed her attention towards her, shaking her head a bit in an attempt to distract herself from her own overbearing thoughts. "Would you like to search it with me?"  
  
Sage didn't respond immediately, instead watching as Delaney walked back over to the stuff she'd dropped on the floor by the car. She grabbed what Sage now recognized as a backpack, reaching into it and pulling out a flashlight.

"There might be something we could use in there," she added with a shrug, not appearing to care too much as to if Sage went with her or not.

"There's no point, we are not supposed to use old world supplies unless absolutely necessary," Sage commented, turning her attention back to Dreamscape, bending under the animal's neck to start wiping at the opposite side of the animal. "I wouldn't want to go against the Prophet's plan for us."

Yet, the both of them were probably already lost causes. Delaney is one of the Wolves and Sage was an apostate now; a sinner.

"I don't want to dig myself a bigger hole..." Sage found herself muttering under her breath, a defeated sigh following the comment.  
  


"I'd say this is pretty necessary," Delaney pointed out with a slightly amused chuckle. Though, not long after, the blonde seemed to take notice of Sage's saddened expression that followed the unheard comment. Her smile seemed to fade and there was silence for a few moments, neither one of them attempting to speak as Sage once again began to get enveloped in her own thoughts. That was often a daily occurrence for her, though. The presence of another person, however, was not.  
  


Clearing her throat, Delaney began speaking again. Her words were not something Sage had been expecting.  
  
"From what I can tell... you ran away, right?" Delaney had started, her words coming out carefully as she seemed to be trying to reason with Sage. "So you're on your own, just like me..."  
  
The blonde trailed off for a moment, her eyes on the brunette, who chose to keep her eyes on her hands as she rubbed down her horse, a conflicted expression apparent on her face. "We need to use some of this stuff so that we can survive. I'm sure... your Prophet would understand, okay?"  
  
Sage's hands slowed to a stop at Dreamscape's side as Delaney continued speaking, "You're not... sinning. Alright? You gotta survive somehow, and this stuff is the easiest way."

Part of Sage found herself caught a bit off guard by how quickly Delaney seemed to pick up on the fact that she had left. Regardless, she knew that Delaney had a point: they were on their own and she was running low on supplies.

The brunette let out a short sigh, taking a step back from Dreamscape with a nod. "I guess," she muttered, running a hand over her neck in a nervous manner. "But I am a sinner. Not for this, but for leaving I mean," the girl added, turning her back on Delaney so she didn't have to look at her.  
  


"Well, why did you leave?" Delaney questioned as Sage busied herself with closing the garage door so Dreamscape couldn't leave whilst they went off exploring (also so no one could see the massive animal standing inside the garage entrance). "I guarantee you that whatever it was, you had a valid reason to leave. Like I said, you're like me. Maybe we left for similar reasons."

Sage hesitated at the garage door for a moment after shutting it, attempting to figure out how to word herself properly. She found herself extremely unsure as to how much information she should give. Turning around to face Delaney, she began to explain.

"When I was sixteen my place within the Seraphites was chosen. I've been the wife of one of the elders for the past three years."

Sage found herself pausing in her words, furrowing her eyebrows slightly as she attempted to figure out how to explain herself without explaining exactly what happened. She really shouldn't be telling Delaney anything - the woman is a stranger, after all.

Though, she had been keeping all of this to herself for so long, so she couldn't help but feel like she had to get it off her chest, even if it was to a stranger who probably didn't care as much as she appeared to be showing.  
  


"I did as I was told, but I was scared. So I left. It was foolish of me." She knew she brushed over that explanation; even if Delaney hadn't been a stranger, she doubted she would have been able to explain what had been happening without losing some of her composure. "Now I will be killed in the way of a sinner when they find me again. I guess I'm just biding my time until that day comes."

  
"Sixteen?" Delaney questioned, the disgust evident in both her tone and facial expression as the woman proceeded to try and process exactly what she had just been told. "Hey, you did the right thing. That... That is fucked up. Like, truly. Nobody deserves that. You made the right decision." Delaney went silent for a moment, seeming to get lost in her own thoughts before finally speaking again - her tone apologetic. "I'm so sorry..."

Sage gave Delaney a soft smile, though the look on her face was that of someone who genuinely didn't believe in what she was being told, despite knowing the words being spoken to her should have been comforting; and they would have been to most people. Sage simply shook her head, walking over to Dreamscape's head and petting the animal's muzzle as she tried to think over her next words. She wasn't sure she could make a Wolf understand how bad her actions actually were when the woman didn't share her beliefs to begin with.

"It's what Prophet expects of our people. Some of us become soldiers, some of us work on the island, and some of us become wives, whether it be to other members or the elders themselves. My father is an elder, so this was expected of me. It was my responsibility to follow the path Prophet laid out for me. It was a gift, one I spat on when I left. That is no one's fault but my own."

"Sounds pretty fucked up to me," Delaney replied after the long winded explanation, though she didn't appear to look as though she were going to argue with Sage on what she believed. Instead, she redirected the conversation entirely, bringing it back to what they were initially trying to do earlier. Nodding towards the door she had just opened a few minutes before, Delaney spoke again. "Still wanna go check that out with me?"

Sage gave Delaney a short nod, giving a short scratch behind Dreamscape's ear as the horse lowered her head before stepping away from the animal entirely. She didn't say much as she turned around and headed into the room that Delaney had briefly entered prior so they could begin looking around.

"What exactly are we looking for?" The brunette questioned, the confusion clear in her tone. "I've been refraining from grabbing supplies outside of things I can use to craft arrows, otherwise I hunt for food. I'm not entirely sure what things from the old world would be useful..."

Delaney seemed to take a moment to consider her words, which was something she hadn't really done at all in the short time Sage had known her. "Just... pick up anything you can find, and then we'll take a look at it later and decide if it's useful or not, okay?"

"Alright..." Sage responded, her tone of voice trailing off a bit as she began looking through the room.

It appeared to be some sort of back room, a door leading towards an office on the opposite end of the room. There were some old scattered and rusted car parts across the room, as well as lockers and boxes and shelves. The room itself seeming to look like some sort of extended storage for the workshop.

Sage started by opening one of the boxes, coughing a little bit as dust found itself flying out of the box that appeared to hold a bunch of packaged, blank paper. "I don't think we need a bunch of blank paper for anything," the short haired brunette commented before moving over to one of the lockers.

Not taking much notice of Delaney's _"Aw, fuck yes."_ as the blonde looked through one of unlocked lockers. Instead, she eyed the keylock on the locker door in front of herself for a moment before reaching into her pocket to grab a bobby pin to try to pick the lock.

  
Sage noticed Delaney walk up behind her shortly afterwards, but didn't say a word as she opted to focus on the task at hand. After a few seconds of fiddling with the lock, Delaney spoke behind her.  
  
"Wait, maybe there's a key around here somewhere."

"No, no. It's fine," Sage said quickly, hoping to halt Delaney's oncoming search for a possible key. "I... got... it..." with the last word, the lock clicked open, a triumphant expression gracing her face as she pulled the lock off the locker and stood back up to her feet.

Pulling open the locker, Sage began rummaging through the items in the locker. The locker held some blue jumpsuits which were hanging on the hooks, and in the top part of the locker were some miscellaneous things, which surprisingly included a pack of ammunition and a 9mm pistol at the back of the shelf.

The brunette pulled out both objects, an uninterested look on her face as she turned around and held both out to the woman. "Are either of these something you'd consider 'useful'?"

"Are you kidding?" Delaney asked, taking both of them from Sage with a shocked expression, as if she were surprised the brunette had even asked such a question.

Sage watched with a bit of curiosity as Delaney loaded the pistol with ammunition that had been found along with it and looked the gun over for a moment.  
  


"You could use this," the blonde commented as she stepped over to what appeared to be a workbench and grabbed a rag that was on top of it. She continued speaking as she began to wipe the gun down, "This'll come in handy if you run into any infected, or even some of your own people."

Sage watched the other woman look over the pistol, surprise replacing her previous curious expression on her face at the suggestion of her using a gun. Yeah, her own people did use guns - soldiers. So her using one should be okay. Right?

_Maybe if she knew how to use one anyways._

"Are you sure that's a wise idea?" Sage questioned, taking a few steps to follow after Delaney. "I might be better off with my bow, I've never used a gun before."

"I can show you," Delaney replied with a shrug. "I know you've got your bow, but hey, this can be a backup or something." She pointed the gun at the wall, looking down the sights for a moment, keeping her finger off of the trigger.

"There's nothing to it, really. I'm sure you'll pick it up fast," she added.

Sage honestly wasn't sure how much she could believe that; she had never been one to pick things up easily. Learning how to use a bow, or even more close ranged weapons like a machete had been quite a hassle. She could barely throw a bottle without completely missing her target. Every. Single.Time.

"For a Wolf, you have way too much faith in me," the brunette pointed out after a moment, watching the woman point the gun at the wall carefully.

"I'm not a Wolf anymore," Delaney reminded Sage pointedly. "Besides, my sister died for one of you. There's gotta be a reason why." Lowering the gun, she went back to inspecting it before looking at Sage. "So, you wanna learn?"

_Not a Wolf by technicalities, but the mindset remains the same._

Sage didn't voice her thoughts though, thinking better of it. She did however, take note of the comment about Delaney's sister. Part of her wanted to ask, but decided it wasn't a good idea, instead turning her attention to the question she was asked.

Learning how to shoot a gun? She was never a fan of the old world weapons, yet their soldiers would often take advantage of their capabilities when necessary. Surely that would be okay, right?

The brunette gave a short but hesitant nod, discomfort clear on her expression as she responded. "Sure... I guess there shouldn't be any harm in learning..."

"Cool," Delaney smiled. "Here might not be the best place, though. Wouldn't want to scare your buddy in there," she added, nodding towards the door that led to the other room.

Sage couldn't help but smile at the small consideration for Dreamscape, knowing full well that the mare had a history of spooking at gunfire (something Sage really had to figure out how to desensitize her to it). However, that was not the focus at right now.

"We don't have to if you don't want to," she clarified, seeming to have noticed Sage's discomfort.

At the mention of not having to do it, Sage quickly shook her head. "Guns are one of the few old world objects my people are allowed to use, so it's not that I'm worried about it. I personally, was never allowed to use them myself so..." The brunette trailed off for a moment, trying to think of the correct word she was looking for. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Well, it's okay to be nervous. I was nervous when I first learned," Delaney replied with a shrug. "If we can find a place secluded enough to practice safely, then we should be okay. As for shooting the gun itself, you should be fine. It's a similar concept to a bow, it just works a little differently."

Sage listened to Delaney's explanation, not really understanding exactly how such a weapon could ever be similar to a regular bow. Maybe a crossbow, but she couldn't connect the two being even remotely similar in her head. That being said, she simply nodded at the explanation - seeing as she would find out for herself soon.

"Maybe the building has a basement?" Sage questioned, glancing at the door that led to the office before looking back at Delaney with a questioning expression. "It might keep from being heard very well from the outside." The brunette reasoned.

Delaney nodded at the suggestion of a basement and shoved the gun into the back of her pants so she could search for a basement without a gun in her hand. "Basement is a good idea. Though, we should probably find something to block the sound from our ears. Guns are pretty loud."

"If they're so loud, why do people bother to use them in the first place?" Sage found herself mumbling, mostly to herself - though, she wasn't at all surprised when Delaney responded to her off-handed comment.

"Well, first of all, we don't use them in confined spaces like basements," the blonde started as she turned around and began going through a container - surprisingly managing to come across exactly what she was looking for.

"Second of all," she added as she handed one pair to Sage. "They're convenient."

"Right." Sage stated, not looking entirely convinced. But she accepted the explanation anyways, taking the headset Delaney handed to her and looking at it for a moment before placing it around her neck for the time being.

The brunette turned and headed for the door leading to the office, opening the door and entering the room. The building proved to have a really odd layout, which included two more doors that seemed to lead into more rooms. One door had ameplate on it that said 'basement', the other door leading straight to the front office that was probably used for customers. That door - unlike the one that led to the basement - was open.

"Looks like I was right about a basement," Sage commented, making her way into the room and headed towards the shut basement door. She had begun reaching for the doorknob to open it - her hand halting over it when an abrupt _'Wait'_ came from Delaney.  
  
Sage angled her head to look at Delaney, watching as she pulled the gun out from her jeans and met the brunette's glance with a serious expression. "Do you hear that?" The blonde asked quietly, taking a short step towards the door ear first, seemingly to listen closer.

Sage went completely silent as she focused her attention on trying to listen for any noises, hoping to figure out exactly what Delaney had heard, having missed it the first time. The distinct sounds of clicking became painfully clear, and Sage couldn't help but silently curse herself for being careless enough to have missed that the first time around.

Reaching her arm back, she pulled her bow off the strap she used to keep it on her back before grabbing an arrow that was sticking out from the top of her bag. Moving her hand back over the door knob, Sage spoke again, "It sounds like only one demon is down there, but I could be wrong..."

"There could be spores as well," Delaney reminded quietly. "Shit, my bag's in the other room... Stay here," she told Sage, beginning to take a step back before stopping her movements once again. "Do you have a mask?"  
  


"Oh- I- Yeah, I do," Sage found herself stuttering a bit, pulling her backpack off of her back and setting it on the floor so she could retrieve her mask. She hadn't had one for very long; after realizing pretty quickly that she would have to write off even entering most buildings without it, she had to hunt for one - eventually finding one in the bag of a dead Wolf soldier.

Pulling the mask out the bag, she secured it to her face before closing her bag and putting it back on herself.  
  
While she had been going through her bag, Delaney had exited to the garage and returned with her own mask on and knife in hand. The blonde moved over to the door, hand resting on the doorknob as she looked back at Sage.

"Ready?"

Sage gave the blonde a short nod, not vocalizing the beginning of her response, but showing that she was ready none-the-less. "Maybe we should shut the door after we enter though, just in case Dreamscape makes any noises. Won't have to worry about accidentally alerting the demon."

"Good idea," Delaney replied, opening the door slowly. She took quiet steps forward, pushing the door open a bit with each movement.

Sage followed behind Delaney quietly, grabbing onto the door as Delaney passed through so she could quietly pull it closed behind her as she entered as well. Upon entering, the sounds of the clicking demon in the basement were surely a lot louder, the fungus covered creature stumbling around the decently sized, spore-covered room. The faint squeaks coming from the stairs thankfully didn't seem to alert it to their presence as they made their way down.  
  
Looking towards the corner of the room, it was easy to see just where the spores were coming from, the fungus growing across the walls and floor. There appeared to be a dead demon, similar to the one currently still alive, stuck to the wall, almost hidden amongst the growths that were spread out on the surface before them. It seemed they had found the source of the spores.

"Quiet," Delaney whispered as Sage notched an arrow in her bow, making no move to aim it at the clicker, instead opting to look at Delaney, just in case she had a plan on how they should do this.

Delaney, upon seeing the demon, had put the gun back in the back of her pants before pulling out her knife, seeming to decide to use that rather than the gun. "Stay ready just in case there's any others, okay?" She whispered, glancing back at Sage for a moment before continuing down the stairs slowly, only stopping as she stepped down onto the concrete floor of the basement. Sage watched as Delaney crouched down, looking as though she was trying to sneak her way around to get the clicker from behind.

Sage moved down a few more steps, remaining on the bottom of the stairs with her bow now being aimed steadily at the clicker in case anything went south with Delaney attempting to stealthily kill it. She could quite reasonably try shooting it now, but if she missed or didn't get a killing shot, she knew their cover would be blown immediately. So, with that in mind, she kept her position on the stairs and remained silent, watching the clicker as it let out a loud screech, the sound echoing slightly in the basement.  
  
Despite the demon stumbling around, Delaney managed to make her way around it without being noticed, and Sage watched as the blonde got into position before grabbing it, immediately shoving her knife into its neck.

It let out a few strangled clicks as it died, Delaney letting it fall limp as she set it down on the ground. She pulled her knife out of its neck before looking towards Sage, watching as she lowered her bow.

"I guess we aren't shooting any guns down here," Sage commented, beginning to start walking down the stairs. What she hadn't expected was the sound of her voice triggering another demon. It looked like a mix between a clicking demon and a newly turned one, struggling to pull itself off the wall with a screech. Breaking the fungus that had grown around its body as its attention zeroed in on Delaney, who was much closer to it.

Sage reacted quick enough to raise her bow, releasing an arrow into the creature's shoulder as it broke out the wall, though the shot only caused it to stumble backwards, still alive and kicking.

Delaney had reacted quickly as well, however, throwing herself at the demon and stabbing it multiple times before shoving the knife into its neck with a grunt. "I hate these fucking things," she muttered as the demon let out its final, dying screech.  
  
Sage's face paled, though behind the gas mask and the spores floating around in the air, it was impossible to notice. She should have been smarter than to think they were safe so soon without checking out the rest of the basement.

But like always, she wasn't.

Sage watched as Delaney pulled her knife out of the creature's neck, wiping the blood off on her jeans before putting the knife away. "We might wanna check this place out before we go back upstairs. We'll have to find another place to teach you."

Taking a moment to shake the beginning of some _not too nice_ thoughts that began making their way through her head, she nodded at Delaney's suggestions.

"Uh- yeah. We should do that..." The brunette trailed off for a moment, turning to head back up the stairs before hesitating for a moment and looking back at Delaney. "Can you see if my arrow is still intact by the way?"

"Sure," Delaney responded as she knelt down, pointing her flashlight at the demon's dead body. Somehow, the arrow seemed to be only slightly splintered. She pulled it out of the creature's shoulder before standing up straight and stepping up to hand it to Sage. "Yeah, here."

"Thanks," Sage responded. taking the arrow from Delaney and reaching back to slip it into her bag before she turned around and began moving up the stairs. Opening the door at the top, she glanced around the office for a moment before moving away from the doorway entirely so she could move back towards the door that led to the main room that held the entrance.

"Is it even worth checking out the rest of the building?" Sage commented, pulling her mask off before resting a hand on the door knob, but making no move to open it. "There might be more demons..."

"Well, we don't have to if you don't want to," Delaney responded as she reached the top of the stairs. "Though, if it makes any difference, I think we could take 'em."  
  
Despite the chuckle that came out of Delaney, Sage could only meet it with a short, uncomfortable laugh. Finding a bit of humour in Delaney's words, but also not too fond of the idea of coming across more demons.

"Do you think it's worth looking through the rest of the building?" The brunette found herself questioning once again, tilting her head slightly at the blonde. "I mean if it is, I will. It's just..." The apostate trailed off for a second, attempting to gather her thoughts before continuing. "Don't have the most experience dealing with Demons."

"No," Delaney seemed to decide, catching Sage a bit off guard. "It's okay. I promise."  
  


"If you're sure..." Sage trailed off, taking a step back from the door that led into the front office. Instead, turning around and heading back towards the garage door, exiting out the storage room back to where Dreamscape was located.

Dreamscape let out a happy whinny at the sight of her human, the large animal taking a step forward as Sage approached, nuzzling her face and causing a quiet laugh from Sage in response. "I missed you, too, girl."

Sage had stopped paying attention to Delaney at this point, instead distracting herself by scratching Dreamscape's muzzle for a moment before stepping around the horse. She dropped her bag onto the floor by Dreamscape's saddle, crouching down in front of her bag so she could put the gas mask back inside of it.

By her side, Dreamscape turned around. The large animal pushing her large muzzle against Sage's shoulder as she zipped her bag back up. "Sorry, I don't have anything girl..." The teen muttered, pushing the horses muzzle away from her as she pushed her backpack to the side before moving to retrieve the brush she had discarded onto the ground earlier to finish grooming Dreamscape.

Sage found herself at a bit of an impasse; she wasn't entirely sure as to what she should say to Delaney anymore. The bits of conversation the two of them were having earlier had fallen into silence, and she wasn't too eager to pull attention to their prior plans involving the gun. Grabbing onto the black mares reins, she moved the horse forward a bit before starting to groom the horse at its neck. Clearing her throat a bit, she decided to try to start a bit of a conversation.

"So uh... do Wolves have animals? Other... than dogs I mean."

From a little further into the garage, Sage could hear Delaney respond - though she wasn't sure exactly where in the room she was at that moment. "Uh... well, we have some farm animals—" She stopped abruptly, seeming to consider her words for a moment before correcting herself, "They. They have." She stopped once again, taking a moment before continuing. "How about your people? Do they have animals other than horses?"

Sage gave a short nod, not entirely sure if Delaney could see her face. "We have a lot of animals," the brunette started, moving down to the mare's barrel as she spoke. "Mostly farm animals... Sheep, cows, goats, chickens, llamas."

The brunette stopped talking for a short moment, bending down to groom under the horse's stomach. "Even a few cats."

The apostate knew she was talking about the Seraphites as if she was still with them. Talking in past tense regarding being with them felt extremely wrong, so she didn't force herself to try.

"Most of my people aren't fighters. They are farmers, wives children. The island is extremely safe from any demons and most people who don't live on the island, so we are able to keep a lot of animals. They all, for the most part, are free roam on the island."

"Wow," She heard Delaney respond, glancing around Dreamscape so she could see where the blonde was. Delaney was sitting on a chair with a sketchbook in her hand, though her attention seemed to be on Sage for the moment. "Do you miss it?"

Sage didn't respond at first; she had already turned her eyes back to her task, though she wasn't moving, seeming to try and figure out exactly what her answer was before she responded. Because honestly, was she allowed to miss it? She left. It's her own fault she can't be there anymore.

But part of her...

"Yes I do... A lot," she said, her voice soft and her expression unsure. "I never really had friends due to my father being an elder. Children just naturally try to stay clear of big authority figures and those associated with them," the brunette started, forcing herself to go around the horses flank to begin grooming the other side of Dreamscape, her back to Delaney now.

"But... I miss my mother. I miss the security of the island, as well. I used to steal a horse and sneak out at night, just to go for a ride. I always got in trouble with my father when I returned, but I miss feeling safe enough to do so. I miss constantly being around people." The brunette gave a short sigh, beginning to make her way back up towards the horse's neck. "Being out here just feels so alone, so dangerous. I never had to kill anyone or anything until I removed myself from the island."

From behind her, Delaney let out a chuckle before she responded. "I don't miss being around people. Especially not those people. They used to feel like family, but.. after what they did to my sister..."

Sage remained silent for a moment, noting this as the second time Delaney mentioned her people doing something to her sister. She was tempted to ask, but she wasn't entirely sure it was right to do so. So, rather than ask the question directly - she brushed around it.

"Growing up... My people would tell the children about you Wolves torturing our people. I never really believed it if I'm being honest with myself... Until I saw someone actually manage to return from it... having anyone come back from that was very rare." Sage hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should actually ask the question. "Was there any point to it?"

"I wouldn't know," Delaney replied sharply, her tone sounding somewhat bothered. "I was never part of any of that. And stop saying that. I already told you, I'm not a Wolf anymore."

Sage pulled her lips closed when Delaney told her to stop calling her a Wolf. She chose not to comment further, as Delaney's answer didn't really give her any insight, nor did she want to upset the blonde. At least, not any more than it seemed she already had. Sage didn't really understand the logic very much; even if she left, she would still be a Wolf by technicalities, no? Much like despite leaving, Sage was still very much a Seraphite at heart - even if she was technically an apostate.

But, she wouldn't question her.

The brunette finished grooming Dreamscape in silence, stepping away from the horse to put brush, and the towel she'd put to the side earlier, back into the saddlebag. She couldn't hear the rain outside the garage anymore, which hopefully meant that the rain had finally stopped. Walking over to the large metal door, Sage opted to use the regular door beside it to glance out and see if her theory was correct. It was. The rain outside had stopped completely, the rain having left muddy grass and puddles of dirty water behind. But, it was done.

"Did the rain stop?" Sage heard Delaney question from behind her as she shut the door once again.

"Yeah, the rain stopped," Sage responded, turning back towards her bag. She pulled her coat off of her body, as she knew she was no longer going to need it, dropping it on the floor beside her bag so she could open it up.  
  
She hadn't been paying too much attention to Dreamscape, which proved to be a bad idea on her part when the sound of something hitting the floor, followed by a surprised _"Shit"_ from Delaney came from behind her. The loud noise had caused Sage to flinch and quickly shift her body around to see what happened.

"Hey, um... your buddy just knocked my journal out of my hands," Delaney spoke up sheepishly, looking quite startled by the sudden closeness of Dreamscape.

Sage found herself letting out a soft laugh at the sight, watching as the black mare touched her muzzle to Delaney's hand.

"Sorry, she can be a bit of a pain sometimes," Sage spoke, turning back around towards her bag so she could pull her black leather jacket with a sweater like hood attached to it out her bag and putting her other jacket away in its place. She zipped up the bag before standing back up and looking at Delaney as she put the leather jacket on. "She just wants attention."

  
Sage watched as Delaney cautiously touched Dreamscape's muzzle, the woman seeming to relax upon doing so. "I've never touched a horse before," Delaney commented as she began to gently pet the black mare's face.

"Horses are pretty friendly animals. Only really dangerous if they're scared - being flight animals and all," Sage informed Delaney. After putting on her leather jacket, she walked over to Delaney and Dreamscape, a somewhat amused, but genuinely pleased expression present on her face.

"When I found Dreamscape, she was terrified. Almost trampled me, actually." Sage reached her hand up to scratch the side of the horse's neck as the animal let out a short snort in content. "But once she calmed down, she was honestly one of most affectionate horses I've ever had the chance of being around... Once I figure out how to desensitize her, she will be a lot safer to be around during gunfire."

"How do you plan to do that?" Delaney asked, looking at Sage as she continued to pet Dreamscape gently. "Might not be safe to shoot a gun around her. Unless you tie her reins to something sturdy."

"I'm not sure yet," Sage responded, pulling the reins over the mare's head, which forced the Mare to have to raise her head away from Delaney for a moment. "I'm considering trying to look through old bookstores and libraries to see if there are any books on it. I don't want to go in blindly."

Patting the side of Dreamscape's neck, Sage held the reins out to Delaney. "Could you hold onto her for a moment so I can tack her up?"

"Uhhh, sure," Delaney agreed, taking the reins from Sage before the brunette turned around to pick up the saddle pad that had discarded on the floor when she untacked her horse previously. "I miss the dogs at the WLF."

"Dogs?" Sage questioned as she brushed the dirt off the saddle pad and made sure it was dry for the most part before stepping back over to Dreamscape so she could put it on the animal. Adjusting the blanket on her back as she continued talking. "I never liked dogs much. I saw too many of my people come back after being attacked by them... They are dangerous..."

"They're not dangerous. They attack whoever we tell them to. They're just doing what they're told, they have no sense of right and wrong," Delaney began to defend almost immediately after the comment Sage had made, seeming a bit offended by the idea of dogs being dangerous. "They're actually quite sweet; almost like children. They love to play and cuddle."   
  
Disbelief was apparent on Sage's face as she turned away from Delaney again to grab the Western saddle off the floor, turning back towards the horse as she placed the heavy piece of tack on the animal's back and began trying to move it into the correct spot on her back.

"Sweet," Sage muttered, mostly to herself, but the comment was loud enough to be heard. "Yet they do so much damage from a single command..."

"They think they're protecting their owners. It's not their fault," Delaney replied, not seeming too willing to accept Sage's viewpoint on the animals. Shooting the blonde a bit of a nervous look, Sage tried to deduce exactly how to word herself so she wouldn't escalate the conversation into an argument.

"I don't mean any ill-will, it's just..." The brunette started up, forcing her attention back at the saddle in front of her so she could start with the girth. One side of it was still connected to the saddle, so she went around to the other side of the horse, reaching under the large animal to pull the girth over to her and begin attaching it to the other side of the saddle. "I've never seen a real dog before, only the damage they've done and what the soldiers would tell us about them. It's difficult to think of them as anything other than dangerous."

She heard Delaney let out a sigh before clearing her throat, her tone softening significantly after doing so. "Sorry, I... I didn't mean to get defensive," she muttered.

"I understand why you'd think of them as dangerous. It's not like I have one, anyways, so you don't really need to worry about it, okay?"

Sage swallowed and gave a short nod, choosing not to speak further on the topic as she did the final adjustments on the saddle before going back to retrieve the saddle bag, bringing it back over to Dreamscape and putting it across the back of the saddle before turning over to Delaney - moving to retrieve the reins from the blonde with a soft smile.

"I know I already said it, but thanks for not shooting me," she spoke carefully. "I guess it's about time I get out of your hair."

Delaney gave a nod, handing the reins back to Sage before bending over to pick up her journal as Sage began leading Dreamscape away from Delaney, picking up her backpack and slinging it over her back before heading over to open the garage door. The girl was about to open it when Delaney spoke up again, causing the brunette to hesitate and look back at the blonde.

  
"Where are you headed?" She asked, her eyes on Sage again, leaving the brunette completely caught off guard by the question.

"I'm not sure," Sage responded in confusion, reaching up to play with Dreamscape's forelock to keep her hands busy as she spoke. "I was just going to stay in Seattle for a bit, figure out exactly what I want to do... by that point my people will probably either find me or I'll leave. I'm not sure yet."

"I don't think you should stay in Seattle," Delaney told her, not seeming too fond of her plan. "You could be killed. You should definitely leave the city." There was only a brief moment of silence before Delaney spoke up again, her words only causing Sage to become more confused.

"Maybe we can help each other. You don't know your way around, and I don't have transportation."

Sage furrowed her eyebrows slightly, looking quite confused at what the blonde was currently suggesting to her. "You're really willing to travel with a Seraphite?" She questioned, looking extremely conflicted. "Where would we even go anyways?"

"I... don't know. Anywhere but here," Delaney replied with a shrug. "Maybe find a map and pick a place? As long as it's not Seattle, we should be okay."

Sage honestly was surprised, having not expected Delaney to want anything to do with her after the rain stopped - expecting the Wolf's kindness to only extend so far. Yet, the blonde's following words seeming to only solidify what she was trying to suggest.

"I just... I don't think we should separate. We could really help each other."

"I..." The brunette couldn't seem to figure out how to voice another sentence, not entirely sure what she was going to say. She was stunned to put it simply. So, she settled for one word instead.

_"Okay."_

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Thank you so much for taking the time to read the first chapter of The Wolf & Her Scar! If you're interested in any extra information about the story, check out the guidebook on our wattpad!
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/947231784-the-wolf-her-scar-guidebook-1-table-of-contents
> 
> ━━━━━━✦✗✦━━━━━━
> 
> Word Count: 8663


End file.
